THIS invention relates to stabilised hypobromous acid solutions for the treatment of water.
The use of hypobromous acid solutions in the treatment of industrial waters and recreational waters is well known. Although hypobromous acid is a very effective general-purpose biocide, It is also very unstable. In some applications, hypobromous acid is made in situ by reacting a bromide salt with a water-soluble hypochlorite such as sodium hypochlorite. The solution so produced is added directly to water to be treated, before the hypobromous acid is no longer active.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,942,126, in the name of Nalco Chemical Company, discloses a sodium hypobromide solution that is stable under typical storage conditions. The hypobromite solution is stabilised with high concentrations of a stabiliser which, inter alia, may be selected from the group consisting of urea, thiourea, creatinine, cyanuric acid, alkyl hydantoins, mono or di ethanolamine, organic sulfonamides, biuret, sulfamic acid, organic sulfamates and melamine. This patent teaches the use of this stabilised hypobromite solution in the treatment of industrial water systems.
It is an object of this invention to provide a stabilised hypobromous acid solution for the treatment/disinfection of water, especially drinking and irrigation water.